A Princess's Duty
by ES8345
Summary: As Princess Twilight Sparkle struggles to keep up with the demands of her new title, the last thing she needs is a stallion in her life... or does she? Chapters 6 and 7 are up. In Chapter 6, Twilight joins Prince Blueblood for dinner while Flash catches up with a friend from his and Blueblood's past. Chapter 7 sees them preparing for a large state dinner with international guests.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **So, three months ago, if anyone would have told me that I would be writing My Little Pony fan fiction, I would have laughed in their face. What changed? I was intrigued by the notion that an IDW comic about magical ponies was outselling titles from Marvel and DC, so I picked up issue one and began reading. Then I read issue two, and before I knew it, I had exhausted all the available issues, including the Micro-Series. While I had found myself liking the characters and stories, I was confused by some of the references, so I began watching the show. I was blown away. The characters are written well, the world and mythos are written well, the voice acting is superb, and I soon found myself well immersed in the fandom. I never thought I'd ever hear myself say this, but I'm a brony. I hope you enjoy reading it, because I enjoyed writing it.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own My Little Pony or any affiliated characters.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

It was a crisp fall day in Ponyville, and Princess Twilight Sparkle was sitting at her desk in her library behind a mountain of paperwork. She was in the process of restoring the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters to its former glory as Princess Celestia planned for her to take up residence there. To correspond with her move in the following summer, she was charged with planning and hosting a Midsummer's Gala. These two events were the reason for the pile of paperwork. She scanned her eyes over the page that was on top. It was a letter from the masons and architects that was requesting a detailed summary of damages to the castle. She sighed.

"Looks like I'm headed back to the Everfree Forest," she said before shouting for her assistant, "Spike."

After a few minutes of no reply, Twilight stood up and climbed the stairs to their bedroom. There, she found the young Dragon curled up in his bed.

"He's almost too cute to disturb," she said to herself, "Almost…"

She walked over to him, leaned down to his ear, and whispered, "Spike, it's time to get up."

"Just five more minutes," he groaned as he rolled over and turned away from her.

She shook her head, "Fine, but get ready; we need to go back to the castle. I'm going to go see if anyone is free to come with us."

Spike responded with another groan. Twilight shook her head as she left the room.

As Twilight walked outside, she was thinking to herself about which of her friends she would visit first. She didn't have to think for long as the answer landed on the ground in front of her.

"Good morning Princess," Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she landed with a thud.

"Hi Rainbow Dash," Twilight said, "I was just about to visit you. I'm heading to the Castle of Two Sisters and was wondering if anyone wanted to come along."

"Normally I'd say yes," Rainbow began, "but Soarin invited me to go flying with him and the Wonderbolts today."

"Okay," Twilight said, "I'll go ask the others then. Have fun."

"How can I not have fun," the rainbow maned pony said excitedly, "They're the Wonderbolts!"

She quickly shot into the air and took off in the direction of Cloudsdale.

Twilight turned in the direction of Carousel Boutique to speak with Rarity. As she passed Sugercube Corner, she was stopped in her tracks by someone excitedly shouting, "TWILIGHT!"

"Good morning Pinkie Pie," Twilight said as she turned to face her rambunctious friend, "What are you up to?"

"I'm watching the store and foal-sitting for the Cakes while they run some errands," Pinkie explained, "What are you up to?"

"I'm going out to the castle, so I'm asking everypony if they want to come with me," Twilight said, "I guess you're busy though?"

"I'D LOVE TO! But like you said, I'm busy," Pinky exclaimed, "Maybe I'll come join you after I'm done."

"Okay," Twilight said, "I'll see you later."

"BYE!" Pinky shouted as her friend rounded the corner.

* * *

><p>Soon, Twilight was approaching Carousel Boutique. As she walked up to the door, it swung open and Sweetie Belle came running out.<p>

"Hey Twilight," she said as she saw her, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if Rarity had plans for today," Twilight explained.

"Good luck with that;" Sweetie said, "Ever since the announcement of the Midsummer's Gala, she's been swamped with work. She's in there right now with a couple of stiff necks from Canterlot, which is why I'm heading to the clubhouse. Bye."

"Have fun," Twilight said.

Twilight turned to walk into the boutique. As she entered, she saw Rarity taking measurements of Fleur Dis Lee while Fancy Pants stood off to the side.

"I'll be with you in a moment," Rarity said without turning around.

"Okay," Twilight said.

After a few minutes, Rarity was finished, "Okay, I'll have the initial designs finished in about a month. I can either have them sent to you, or you can come and see them, and we can discuss alterations."

"It would be our pleasure to come back," Fancy Pants said, "Thank you Rarity."

"It's my pleasure," Rarity said.

With that, Fancy Pants and Fleur Dis Lee exited the shop. Rarity sighed in relief after the door shut. She then turned to her friend, "Hello dear. What brings you my boutique today?"

"I was going to ask if you wanted to accompany me to the Castle of Two Sisters, but I get the sense that you're busy," Twilight said.

"Nineteen," Rarity said, "I have nineteen dresses to design and make over the course of the next nine months."

"I guess you are busy," Twilight said.

"I've got Upper Crust coming in next for measurements;" Rarity said, "Then I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon designing."

"I'll leave you to it then," Twilight said before turning to leave.

"Wait," Rarity said, "I just realized that I haven't taken your measurements yet."

"You don't have to make me another dress," Twilight said, "You're already so busy. I'll just wear the dress from my coronation."

"Nonsense," Rarity said, "You can't wear an old dress for your first gala as a Princess. Get over here."

Twilight sighed and complied. Rarity magically gathered her tape and notepad, and began. As she was measuring, she heard someone enter the door.

"I'll be with you in a moment," Rarity said again without turning around.

The response was a scoff, "I assumed that this was a private appointment time."

"It is," Rarity said, "but it's going to start a little late. I'm working with a VIP right now."

"Excuse me," the pony said, "Do you know who I am?"

"Yes I do," Rarity said, finally turning around, "Upper Crust, may I introduce Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Upon hearing the word "princess" and seeing Twilight's horn and wings, Upper Crust's mouth gaped and eyes widened.

"I'm terribly sorry your highness," Upper Crust said as she bowed her head.

Rarity glanced at Twilight and smirked, which Twilight returned.

"That's quite alright," Twilight said, feigning an air of regality.

"Thank you your highness," Upper Crust said.

Rarity turned back and finished Twilight's measurements.

"I look forward to attending your gala on Midsummer," Upper Crust said as Twilight walked to the door.

"Thank you," Twilight said, "I look forward to seeing you there, and thank you Rarity."

"Of course," Rarity said, "Do you want me to show you my designs when I finish them?"

"No," Twilight said, "I trust you. I'd better be going; I have two more stops to make before heading to the castle. I'll talk to you later."

"Goodbye Princess," Rarity said as Twilight walked out the door.

"I guess I'll head to Sweet Apple Acres next," Twilight said to herself.

She unfurled her wings and hovered a few feet off the ground before flying towards the Apple family farm.

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><p>As she got closer to Sweet Apple Acres, she saw the only road leading to the farm. About half the distance between her and the farm, she saw a stallion standing next to a broken cart.<p>

"Hi Big Mac," she said as she landed next to him.

"Hiya," he said.

"Having some trouble," she asked.

"Eeyup," he said, "Wheel's broke. Need to jack up the cart to fix it. No jack."

"I can help," Twilight said as she illuminated her horn. The cart was surrounded by magic as it was lifted off the ground.

Big MacIntosh wasted no time in fixing the wheel, at least enough to make it back to the farm.

Twilight lowered it back down.

"Thank ya ma'am," he said as he reattached his yoke and continued pulling.

"It was no problem," she said, "I was just on my way to visit Applejack to see if she wanted to go with me to the castle, but she's probably busy with applebuck season."

"Mhmm," Big Mac confirmed.

As they entered the central farm area, they were met with Apple Bloom bounding towards them.

"Thank goodness you're back, Big Mac," she said, "I can't take it anymore. Applejack is complaining about how long it was taking you to get back, which turned into her complaining about the lack of help she had, which turned into her complaining about the amount of work she had. Since you're back now, you can deal with her. I'm going to the clubhouse. See ya."

With that, the filly bounded out the road.

Mac and Twilight began heading over to the barn. As they reached the door, they could hear Applejack confirming what Apple Bloom had said.

"Where did that slacking filly run off to," Applejack mumbled to herself, "and what in tarnation is taking Big Mac so dang long?"

"Hey there Applejack," Twilight said, finally making her presence known.

"Howdy Twilight," Applejack said as she was pulling a large basket full of apples.

She turned and saw the princess in the company of her brother.

"There you are," Applejack said, "I've been working my tail off all morning while you and Apple Bloom have been dawdling. It's a good thing you're back, 'cause she ran off again. Now get to work."

"Eeyup," Big Mac said as he took over pulling the basket.

"I was going to ask you if you wanted to go with me to the castle, but it looks like you've got a lot going on," Twilight said.

"You could say that," Applejack said, "This year's applebuck season looks to be a big one. I'd love to go with you sugercube, but these apples won't buck themselves. I'm sure one of the others will go with you."

"Rainbow Dash is flying with the Wonderbolts today, Rarity is busy in her shop, and Pinky Pie is foal-siting for the Cakes," Twilight said, "I still haven't talked to Fluttershy, but whether she comes with me or not, I'll have Spike for company."

"Well," Applejack said, "I'd better get back to work. Have fun."

"I can try," Twilight said as she turned to head back into Ponyville.

* * *

><p>As Twilight entered her library, she found Spike sitting at the table with a bowl of gems, but instead of eating, the young dragon was leaning on his elbow, asleep.<p>

"Spike," Twilight said sweetly as she approached, but then she shouted, "Wake up!"

Spike jumped, "I'm awake."

"Are you ready to go," Twilight asked as she grabbed her saddlebags that contained some paper and some quills with ink.

"Go where," Spike asked groggily as he put a spoonful of gems in his mouth.

"To the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters," Twilight said, "I told you that before I left to see if anyone wanted to come with us."

"And did anyone want to come with us," Spike asked as he finished his breakfast.

"They were all busy," Twilight said, "but I still haven't asked Fluttershy; I was going to stop by her cottage on the way to the castle."

"And why do we need to go to the castle," he asked.

"The architects and masons want a detailed list of damages before they can begin repairing it," Twilight said.

"Okay," Spike said as he jumped down from the table, "Let's get this over with."

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><p>Please review.<p>

PPS: If you wish to flame, Come at Me Bro!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own MLP or any of the related characters.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Twilight and Spike just exited Ponyville proper and were on their way to Fluttershy's cottage.

"I hope Fluttershy can come with us," Spike said, "Then she can help us get done with this stupid list."

"I wasn't going to ask her to help," Twilight said, "I just want to know if she wants to come along to keep us company."

"What," Spike said, "That means we're still going to have to do all of the work."

"Well yeah," Twilight said incredulously, "Did you really think you'd be able to just sleep once we got there?"

"Well I thought that the others would be there to help us get done faster," Spike whined.

"I didn't say that I was going to ask them for help," Twilight said.

By now, the pair had arrived at Fluttershy's cottage.

"Good morning Twilight," Fluttershy said upon seeing them, "Hello Spike. What brings you two to this side of Ponyville?"

"We're heading to the Castle of the Two Sisters to do an inventory of damages for the architects so they can begin repairs," Twilight explained, "Would you like to come with us?"

"Sure," Fluttershy said, "I've just got to fill up my bird feeder first. The birds are getting ready to fly south, so they need the food to keep their strengths up."

The cream-colored pegasus picked up the bag of birdseed between her hooves and lightly fluttered up to the feeder before pouring it in.

"Okay," she said, "We can go now."

Fluttershy turned to her pet rabbit, "Now behave while I'm gone, Angel."

The alicorn, pegasus and dragon set off into the Everfree forest.

* * *

><p>The trio was walking at a fairly brisk pace as they made their way through the forest. When they reached the halfway point to the castle, they decided to stop and rest for a bit.<p>

"I think we should keep moving," Spike said slightly panicked, "The sooner we're in the castle, the safer we'll be."

"You worry too much Spike," Twilight said, "There's no real hurry to get there."

"Aren't you scared that something might attack us," Spike asked.

"I'm sure Twilight can handle anything out here with her magic," Fluttershy said.

"It's the middle of the day," Twilight said as she sat down, "What's the worst that could happen?"

At that, they were met with the howl of a timberwolf. The three of them jumped up.

"But now that you mention it, maybe we should hurry up and get to the castle," Twilight said.

At that, three timberwolves jumped out of the brush and made a beeline for them. Twilight hit Spike with her magic to pull him to her, before her and Fluttershy began running towards the castle.

"Why are you running," Spike shouted, "You two have wings."

"Oh yeah," Twilight said as she and Fluttershy extended their wings and lifted off the ground.

The pair of winged ponies increased their speed as they evaded the timberwolves.

"Did we lose them," Twilight asked Spike, who was sitting on her back.

Spike turned his head and looked back, "No, they're still coming."

As his head was turned, he did not see the low-hanging branch in front of them.

"Duck," yelled Twilight as she dipped below it.

"What," Spike said as he turned around just in time to see the branch that would smack him in the face.

Spike landed on the ground with a thud as the timberwolves grew ever closer. Twilight noticed almost immediately that Spike was no longer on her back, but since she was flying fast, she was already a few yards ahead of him. She stopped short and looked back. She was met with a flash of orange and blue grabbing Spike as well as a stallion shouting, "Keep moving."

Twilight wasted no time in resuming her pace, and soon the four of them were at the castle. Twilight used her magic to push the doors open so they could enter, and as soon as they were in, she pushed them shut again, blocking the timberwolves, which stood outside howling.

"That was close," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah," Twilight said before turning to Spike, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he responded, "I'm fine thanks to him."

The three of them turned to face the orange pegasus stallion with the sapphire blue mane. He had a sword strapped to his side and a knife strapped to his right, front leg. His cutie mark was that of a blue shield with a yellow lightning bolt through it.

"You're that guard from the Crystal Empire," Fluttershy said.

"Thank you, Flash Sentry," Twilight said.

"It was my privilege," he said, "I'm glad I caught up with you when I did."

"As am I," Twilight said, "But that begs the question of what you're doing here?"

"Of course Your Highness," he said as he bowed his head, "Upon arriving at the library in Ponyville, I discovered your note that you were headed to the ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. Because of this, I hurried after you so that I could fulfill my orders."

"What orders," Twilight asked suspiciously.

He looked up at her confusedly, "You haven't received word from Commander Shining Armor. He said that he would send advance notice after I left the Crystal Palace."

"Oh yeah," Spike said as he pulled a note from seemingly nowhere, "This arrived for you while you were out this morning."

Twilight used her magic to take the letter from her assistant before reading it:

_ Your Royal Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle,_

_Under direct edict of Princess Celestia, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and I have chosen from among the elite members of the Equestrian Royal Guard, our finest pegasus knight to become your personal guard. I personally attest to Flash Sentry's ability as a guard, and can guarantee that you will be safe in his highly capable hooves. He has been briefed on all of your official missions since your ascension to royalty, including your current mission. He is duty bound to serve you in any endeavor, and as your personal guard, his only duty is to serve you and follow your orders completely._

_Faithfully yours,_

_Shining Armor, Commander of the Equestrian Royal Guard_

_P.S. Sorry about this Twilie; Princess Celestia's orders. Go easy on Flash; it's not his fault. He's my protégé, so you should know that he's capable, since I trained him. I love you sis._

Twilight looked up from the scroll, "Seriously?"

Flash responded with a nod.

"So if you're here on official orders, where's your armor," Twilight asked.

"I left it at the library," Flash explained, "I can fly faster without it. I'm glad I left it behind, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to be here to save Spike."

Just then, they were interrupted by a bang on the door.

"Eep," Fluttershy sqealed, "It sounds like they're still out there. What are we going to do?"

"We may as well do what we came here to do," Twilight said as she pulled out an empty scroll, quill, and ink bottle, "It's not like we're going anywhere for a while."

Twilight and Spike got to work, and despite Twilight's assurance that they didn't have to, Flash and Fluttershy helped. While they attended to the task, they never noticed that they were being watched by a pair of red and yellow eyes. After about three hours, the job was done, and they met back up in the main hall.

"I guess that's it," Twilight said, "Now, I've just got to get these numbers back to the architects in Canterlot. Then work can begin, and I can get back to planning this Gala. Joy."

"You don't seem to be too excited about your party," Flash observed.

"Party planning isn't really my thing," Twilight said.

"Why don't you ask Pinkie Pie for help," Fluttershy said, "I'm sure she would love to be part of planning the biggest party in Equestria."

"Because Princess Celestia gave the task to me," Twilight explained, "It would be wrong of me to pass the buck to someone else."

"If I may, your highness," Flash said, "part of being a princess is to delegate tasks to your subjects."

"They're not my subjects; they're my friends," Twilight said, "And if you're to be my guard, you're gonna have to stop calling me 'Your Highness.' Just call me Twilight."

"Umm… I can't," Flash said, "I could never be that familiar with you; it goes against protocol, and again if I may, whether they're your friends or not, they're still your subjects."

"While that may be true, they were my friends long before I received my title, so I'll never see them as my subjects, just as I'll never ask them to treat me as anything other than a friend," Twilight said, "And if you must be formal, just call me 'princess.'"

"As you wish, Princess," Flash said.

They turned to leave the building. As soon as Twilight used her magic to take hold of the door, the group was met with more howls from the group of timber wolves that were still outside of the door.

"They're still out there," Fluttershy said, "What do we do now?"

"That's a tough one," said a voice behind them, causing all of them to jump.

Twilight instinctively jumped in front of Spike and Fluttershy, while Flash wasted no time in shielding all of them by standing in front of them and opening his wings.

"Would you calm down," Discord said, as Twilight and Fluttershy sighed in relief.

"What are you doing here," Twilight asked before noticing that Flash was still in guard mode, "Stand down Flash; he's a friend."

"A friend," Flash said shocked, "That's Discord, the very essence of disharmony."

"He's been reformed," Fluttershy said matter-of-factly.

Flash gave Twilight a 'seriously?' face.

Twilight gave a curt nod.

"Very well," Flash said as he lowered his guard a little before turning to face Discord, "I apologize for my rudeness. If her highness trusts you, it is my place to trust her judgment."

"Apology accepted," Discord said before turning to Twilight, "I like him; can we keep him?"

Twilight deadpanned, "You still didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?"

"Her royal pain in the butt, Princess Celestia, sent me here to study the magic in the forest to determine if it is safe enough for guests to come to your Midsummers Gala, which I am eagerly looking forward to," Discord explained, "While I was in the forest, I felt a surge of chaotic magic, so I sought shelter here until it passes."

"A surge of chaotic magic," Twilight repeated, "I wonder if that's what caused the timber wolves to attack us."

"What do you mean," Spike said, "The timber wolves always attack us when we enter their territory."

"But we weren't in their territory," Fluttershy said, "We've used that path to come to the castle on multiple occasions, and they've never attacked us before."

Twilight nodded, "I guess that's something else I have to look into before I host this gala."

"No, no," Discord said, "Allow me Princess. It's what I was sent here to do anyway, my duty if you will. You go about your duty in repairing the castle."

"Where are you staying while you're here," Fluttershy asked, "You can stay with me if you'd like."

"Thank you my dear, Fluttershy," Discord said, "But I'll be staying here at the castle in Princess Luna's old suite until I'm finished."

"You do know that some work ponies will be coming to fix this place up within the next few days," Twilight said.

"And I promise to stay out of their way," Discord said before mumbling, "Mostly."

"Discord," Fluttershy said sternly.

"What," Discord said, "They'll be too tempting as targets for me to just leave them alone."

"Just let them get their work done," Twilight said.

"Fine," Discord said defeated, "I'll only mess with them while they're on break."

"I guess that's the best I'm going to get," Twilight said, "Now, how are we going to get past these timber wolves?"

"Let's see how well I can manipulate this forest's chaos magic," Discord said.

He flew over to the door and pushed it open. This caused the timber wolves outside to snarl. Discord snapped his fingers and the three wolves collapsed into a pile of sticks, leaves, and assorted foliage.

"That worked better than I hoped," Discord said, fairly pleased with himself while Fluttershy and Twilight sighed in relief.

Twilight glanced over at Flash and Spike and noticed that the stallion was still on guard and the dragon was still shaking.

"What's wrong," she asked the pair, "It's over. Discord stopped them."

"It's not over," Flash said as he spread his wings, drew his sword, and took an offensive stance.

"Look," Spike sad as he pointed at the remains.

Twilight glanced over as a magical wind swirled around the foliage. The sticks and branches began to reassemble themselves into a massive, single timberwolf. It let out a loud howl as a Flash charged it. The sword made contact with the beast's leg, but the blade just glanced off of it. The tilberwolf howled in annoyance and brought its front claws up and swatted Flash Sentry to the side. Flash crashed to the ground.

"A sword's not going to cut it," Flash said as he stood up and sheathed the sword.

"Perhaps this will," Discord said as he pulled a broadax out of seemingly nowhere.

The draconequus tossed the ax to Flash, who caught the handle squarely in his mouth. He spread his wings and charged the monster yet again. This time, he used the momentum of his charge and the weight of the ax to swing the blade into the timberwolf's leg. Where the sword was completely useless, the axe split straight through branches, sending debris flying. The monster teetered a little before falling to the ground.

"Way to go Flash," Spike cheered.

Twilight and Fluttershy shared an expression of shock and awe.

"That was amazing," Twilight said.

"Still not over," Flash said as he picked the ax back up, this time between his hooves. He flew over to the base of the monster's neck and brought the ax down hard enough to cleave straight through the arboreal vertebrae. The massive timberwolf's head fell off, resulting in the collapse of the whole construct.

"Now it's over," Flash said as he landed.

As his hooves hit the ground, Twilight noticed him wince slightly before taking the pressure off of his back leg.

"You're hurt," Twilight said as she trotted over to him.

She inspected his hind leg and found a deep gash mark.

"You're cut," she said worriedly, "We have to get you to a doctor, or field dress it or..."

"Do you know any healing magic," Flash asked her.

Twilight shook her head, "Not for this."

Flash then turned to Discord, "How about you?"

"It's not that I can't do healing magic," Discord said, "I just don't trust it. Chaos magic is just that, chaotic. I don't have that much control over it."

Flash nodded and then turned to Spike, "Ok Spike, I need you to heat up my knife with your dragon breath."

He pulled the knife from its sheath and tossed it to Spike.

"Okay," Spike said as he picked it up, "Why?"

"I'm going to cauterize my wound," Flash said.

"Are you sure," Fluttershy asked, "Won't that be really painful?"

"The alternative is bleeding out," Flash said.

Spike began blowing fire at the knife until it was glowing hot.

"Now quickly press it against the slash," Flash said while bracing himself.

"Wait," Twilight said, "I have an idea."

She turned to Discord, "Can I try channeling your healing magic?"

"That may work," Discord said, "I have the knowledge, but not the control, while your alicorn status gives you potency and control, yet you lack the knowledge of the spell. It's worth a try."

Discord flew over to Twilight and placed his lion paw on her head. His magic began pooling at the base of her horn. She then began channeling her own magic so that it mixed with his. She aimed her horn at Flash's leg, and shot it off. Upon being hit with magic, Flash let out a groan of pain, but the wound began to close. When it was finally, completely healed, Twilight stopped the spell and promptly collapsed in exhaustion, Discord catching her at the last second before she hit the ground.

"Wow," Flash said as he put full weight on his previously injured leg, "Thank you, Your Highness. I'm not worthy."

"I thought I told you cut that out," Twilight said as she stood back up, "And if you would have cauterized it, you still would have to spend time in the hospital, and you wouldn't be able to do your duty as my guard. This way you can."

"So you are okay with me being your personal guard," Flash said.

"I can't deny that we would have been in real trouble if you weren't here," Twilight said, "So I will acquiesce to Princess Celestia and my brother's orders, and allow you to stay with me."

"Right," Spike said under his breath, "Like you needed their orders."

Twilight shot Spike a glare while Fluttershy giggled. Flash didn't seem to notice.

"I'm honored, Princess," he said as he bowed his head, "and I formally swear my allegiance to you, and to serve you and you alone, faithfully and without question."

"And I accept your allegiance," Twilight said returning the bow.

"Now that that's over," Spike said, "Can we go home?"

Twilight nodded, and after saying their goodbyes to Discord, the two pegasi, the alicorn, and the dragon began making their way back to Ponyville.

* * *

><p>Please review.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic or any of it's characters or locations.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

As Twilight descended her staircase, she saw Flash Sentry standing at the table eating an apple while scanning his eyes over a letter. It had been a month since Flash had sworn his allegiance to Twilight as her personal guard, and despite the change, Twilight didn't find it as weird as she thought she would. Of course it meant that there was another pony living in the library with her and Spike, but though she wouldn't admit it out loud to him, she enjoyed his presence.

"What are you reading," she asked as she walked over to him.

"It's a briefing that just arrived in the mail this morning," he responded, "Good morning, by the way."

Twilight smiled, "Good morning to you too. So what's the briefing about?"

"You'll probably find out in a few minutes," he said.

At that moment, a loud belch echoed through the tree, and Spike came bounding down the stairs.

"It's a letter from Princess Celestia," he said as he handed it to Twilight.

She took it and read it silently to herself:

_My dearest Princess Twilight Sparkle,_

_I am writing to inform you that my sister and I are coming to the ancient castle to see how the repairs are coming along and to check in on the status of the Gala preparations. I also wish to see how well Commander Shining Armor's handpicked guard is working as your personal guard. From what my niece tells me, you had met Flash Sentry previously, and are quite fond of him. I trust that I don't have to explain to you the mode of decorum that you must display when in public with your guard, despite any feelings you may have for him; but I digress. I look forward to seeing you this afternoon._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Princess Celestia._

_P.S.: My nephew will be accompanying us to the castle as he wishes to formally make your acquaintance._

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Prince Blueblood are coming to the castle to see the progress of the repairs," Twilight said, "Is that what your briefing is about?"

Flash nodded, "We should get ready to go. I let you sleep in a little bit this morning, so it's already getting late. They'll be there in only a few hours."

Twilight glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was almost noon.

"Why didn't you get me up earlier," she said frantically, "I have so much to do, and now I wasted half of the day."

Flash looked at her sternly, "Your safety isn't my only responsibility, so is your health. You haven't been getting much sleep lately, so I decided that you should stay in bed and catch up on some rest."

She leveled a glare at him before it turned into a pout, "Fine; I'll admit that I feel better rested than I have in a while, but never let me sleep this late again. I have too much to do."

"Very well, Your Highness," he said, "I'll take that into account next time you're up past midnight and fall asleep on the pile of papers on your desk."

A hard blush lit up Twilight's cheeks, "I did not, and for the millionth time, don't call me 'Your Highness.'"

"Fine, Princess," he said, "but you totally did."

"Then why did I wake up in my bed," she asked.

"Obviously because I carried you there," he said as he tossed the remains of his snack into the trash.

If possible, Twilight blushed harder, "You didn't."

"He did," Spike chimed in as he picked up a nice sized emerald and began munching on it.

She shot Spike a glare and quickly changed the subject, "Whatever. I have a few errands to run before we head to the castle, which I was planning on doing this morning, and now I'm running late. I'll meet you both back here in about an hour when I'm done."

"I just have to put on my armor, and I'll be ready," Flash said as he turned towards the spare book storage room, which Twilight had converted into his living quarters.

"No need," Twilight said as she headed towards the door, "I'm just going to see Pinkie Pie and Rarity, both of whom are just down the street. I doubt that I'll run into trouble between here and there."

"But…," Flash started, but he was cut off by the door closing behind her as she left, "it's my duty to follow you."

He turned to Spike, "Does my presence really bother her that much?"

"Nah," Spike said as he finished his gem, "she's just embarrassed that we called her out. She actually seems happier since you arrived. Her friends are really busy this time of year, AJ with applebuck season and Fluttershy with preparing her animals for winter. Plus, Rainbow been spending most of her time with the Wonderbolts, and Rarity has been busy with clothing orders for the Gala. Even Pinky Pie's been really busy lately with helping the Cakes run their shop. She's been lonely, I can tell. With you here, she's not."

"What about you," Flash said, "You're always here."

"Yeah," Spike said, "but that's different. Not that we're not friends, it's just that I'm her assistant; I've been with her since she hatched me from my egg. I guess I'm the constant; I've always been here, and I'll probably be here for a long time. She's only had her friends since she came to Ponyville; they haven't always been there, so she knows that they may not always be there. You know what I mean?"

"I think so," Flash said, "You know, you're pretty smart for a baby dragon to have figured that out by yourself."

"Yeah," he responded, "I may not have grown up much physically, but living in a library with the smartest pony I know might have forced me to grow up mentally."

Flash nodded, "Well, we'd better get ready. I'm sure she'll want to leave again as soon as she gets back."

Meanwhile, Twilight was just walking into Sugercube Corner.

"Good afternoon Princess," Mr. Cake said from behind the counter, "What can we do for you today?"

"Good afternoon Mr. Cake," Twilight said. Though it still somewhat bothered her to hear ponies she'd known prior to her coronation call her 'Princess,' she'd decided to let it go, "I'm actually here to see Pinkie."

"Okay," he said, "She's upstairs with the twins."

"Thanks," Twilight said as she walked into the next room and up the stairs.

When she reached the landing at the top, she looked into the twins' room that was straight ahead. Her mouth gaped when she saw Pinkie Pie and Pumpkin floating in the middle of the room while Pound was flying laps around them.

"Whoa," she said as she walked in.

"Hey Twilight," Pinkie Pie said upon seeing her.

At that, Pumpkin lowered them to the ground and Pound landed next to them.

"How long has Pumpkin had control of her magic," Twilight asked in awe.

"Since she was about one month old," Pinkie said, "Why?"

"I'm going to have to talk to Mrs. Cake about Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns when she gets older," Twilight explained, "But anyway, I came over to ask you how the party planning is going."

"It's going great," Pinkie said, "I've already talked to Octavia, Vinyl, and the Ponytones about music, and the Apple family and the Cakes are going to cater. Rarity, aside from music, is taking care of the decoration designs, and I asked Rainbow to talk to Soarin about having the Wonderbolts perform a flight routine."

"That sounds great," Twilight said, "You've done a lot since I asked you last month. The reason I wanted to know is that I'm meeting with Princess Celestia later to discuss everything about the renovations and the Gala so far."

"I'm still waiting for most of them to get back to me," Pinkie said, "but I'm not too worried. It's going to be great!"

"I'm sure it will," Twilight said, "Thank you so much for helping with it."

"Like I was going to say 'no,'" Pinkie said, "This is going to be the biggest party in all of Equestria. How could I not be part of it?"

"This is true," Twilight said, "Well, I'd better get going. I still have to go see Rarity before going to the castle to see the Princesses."

"See ya later then," Pinkie said as Twilight walked out of the shop.

Twilight walked up to the door of Carousel Boutique, only to find it locked. She knocked and was answered by Rarity, "I'll be there in a minute."

Twilight stood back and waited for Rarity to open the door.

"Good afternoon Twilight," Rarity said as she opened the door far enough to stick her head out.

"Hi, Rarity," Twilight said, "Do you have time to talk?"

"I'm sorry dear, but I'm simply swamped right now," Rarity said, "Is it important?"

"I just wanted to ask you how those tapestries are coming along," Twilight said.

"Oh yes," Rarity said, "They're coming along very nicely. I should have them finished very soon. Why, do you need them?"

"No," Twilight said, "Take your time. I know you've been really busy lately with all of the dress orders, and Pinkie told me that you're helping her with decorations for the Gala."

"Oh yes," Rarity said, "I want make sure she keeps regality in mind as she does the decorating. As much as I love Pinkie Pie's parties, the Gala should be less festive, and more refined."

"Don't make it too refined," Twilight said, "You remember how boring our first Grand Galloping Gala was."

"How could I forget," Rarity said, "That night, I realized how much of a jerk Prince Blueblood was, which ended that ridiculous crush I had on him."

"Speaking of," Twilight said, "His royal pompousness is accompanying the princesses to meet with me today. That being said, I should probably get going soon. It was good talking to you."

"Always darling," Rarity said, "I'll let you know when the tapestries are done. Goodbye."

Rarity shut the door and locked it as Twilight turned to head back to the library.

* * *

><p>Please review.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** So this chapter begins to introduce some of the major plot points as well as my head-canon. I am well aware of what happened in the Season 4 finale, but my head-canon isn't going to converge with the official canon until after the fourth main story arc (this chapter is about halfway through the second arc, and there will be at least two more before it's over).

**Disclaimer: **I don't own MLP:FIM or any official characters.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

As Twilight and Flash began making their way through the Everfree forest, Flash could tell that Twilight was on edge. As she was flying ahead of him, he noticed that she was spastically flicking her tail and chewing on her lower lip. He flew up next to her, "Princess, are you okay?"

She glanced up at him, startled, "What? I'm fine; why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you're acting more on edge than usual," he stated plainly, "What's wrong?"

She hung her head, "I'm worried that Princess Celestia won't be happy with my progress."

"Why would you think that," he asked, "You're her star pupil, turned crowned princess. She obviously believes in your ability, and trusts you to do what needs done."

She looked back up at him, "But what if I can't meet her expectations? What if I'm not good enough to be the princess that everyone expects?"

"Don't worry about that," he said, "Just be true to yourself. Understanding of royal duty and responsibility will come in time, but at the end of the day, at least for right now, your only true duty is to yourself."

"You don't really mean that though, do you," she asked dryly.

"Of course I do," he said, "Why would I say something I don't mean?"

"To make me feel better," she said, "You said that my only duty is to myself, yet I haven't seen you be selfish at all in the last month that you've been my guard."

"That's because I know and understand my duty and responsibilities," he said, "And those are to serve and protect you and all of Equestria."

"That simple, huh," she said.

"Hasn't always been," he explained, "I was a rookie once. I was assigned to protect a high profile individual who also happened to be a close friend. When everything went south, I let my emotions get the better of me, and my mistake almost led to tragedy. In some ways it did."

"What happened," Twilight asked.

"Sorry Princess," he said sincerely, "It's confidential, and there are some things that you aren't yet privy to. Eventually you will be, but not now."

She glanced at him in confusion, only to see his forlorn expression. When he noticed that she was looking, his expression hardened for a second before softening into his usual cheerful demeanor, "We've been flying for a while, why don't we rest for a bit?"

"Are you sure," she asked, "Last time we took a rest, Spike almost got eaten by timberwolves."

"This time, Spike's not here, but I am," he said, "Plus my guard's up, and I'm in full armor. We'll be fine."

"Usually, when somepony says that, things turn out to be not fine," Twilight said.

"Maybe this time will be different," Flash said.

"Okay," Twilight said, "Just this once."

The two of them landed in a clearing just off of the path.

"Princess," he said, "There is something we need to discuss before we reach the castle."

"What's that," she asked.

"I'm sure you already realize this, but while we're in the presence of Their Royal Majesties, we're going to have to act formally towards each other," he said.

"What do you mean," she asked.

"I've been lax when it comes to addressing you because I know how much formality bothers you," he explained, "So while we're in their presence, and if we're ever in Commander Shining Armor's presence, I will refer to you as Your Highness, and you need to show that the relationship between us is strictly as Princess and guard."

"Is formality really that important," she asked.

"Protocol is everything," he responded, "If I breach protocol, I could be court marshalled, which could lead to me being stripped of rank or expulsion from the royal guard."

Twilight sat there and absorbed what her guard had told her, "Okay. I will act with the utmost formality during our audience with the Princesses."

"Thank you," he said, "Now we should probably get moving again."

"Yeah," she said, "Who knows when something will decide to attack us?"

At that moment, Twilight felt a chill shoot down her spine, which caused her tail to move spastically.

"What was that," Flash asked.

"I don't know," Twilight said, "I've never experienced anything like that before. Maybe Pinkie Pie's Pinkie-sense has rubbed off on me."

As soon as she finished speaking, a loud growl echoed through the trees, followed by the sound of something moving.

"Move now," Flash shouted as he unfurled his wings.

Twilight wasted no time in taking flight as a large creature burst out of the trees.

"What in Celestia's name is that thing," Twilight shouted to her guard.

"Owlbear," Flash responded as flew right behind her, "Nasty monsters. I didn't think there were any of them this close to Ponyville."

"Apparently there are," she said, "What should we do now?"

"How far are we from the castle," he asked.

"Three hundred yards, give-or-take," she responded.

"Okay. Shoot a magic flare to let them know that we're in trouble," he said.

"Let who know," she asked.

"The royal guards that accompanied the Princesses," he said, "If we're going to drive this thing back, I'm going to need help."

Twilight nodded as she began pooling her magic at the base of her horn, before firing a bolt of magic into the sky, where it exploded into the shape of her cutie mark.

As they reached the castle grounds, Flash pulled his sword and did an about-face as two other pegasi adorned in royal guard armor joined him to face the monster. They were followed by a unicorn in armor and a white coated, blue maned unicorn wearing a royal red blazer. The two of them launched beams of magic at the beast as Twilight flew past them and into the open doors of the castle.

As she landed in the entrance hall, she came face-to-face with her teacher, Princess Celestia; Discord; the Princess's nephew, Vladimir Blueblood; and her sister-in-law, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Behind the group, there stood a unicorn that Twilight recognized as Celestia's royal scheduling advisor.

"Cadence," Twilight shouted as she rushed over to greet her brother's wife, "What are you and my brother doing here?"

"We were going to surprise you," Cadence responded, "and I guess you were pretty surprised when Shiny rushed past you to fight whatever it is that attacked you."

"Owlbear." Twilight said, "I assume Flash Sentry knew that you two would be here and was ordered not to tell me."

Cadence smiled and nodded.

At that moment, the doors reopened and the three guards, Flash, and Shining Armor entered.

Twilight walked over to her guard, "Are you okay, did you drive it back?"

Flash nodded, "I'm fine. It retreated back into the forest."

During the exchange, Shining Armor was watching his sister intently, as was Prince Blueblood, though more discreetly.

The aforementioned approached his sister, "It was a good thing you warned us that it was coming."

"It was Flash's plan," Twilight said.

"So I take it that you aren't too upset that I sent him to you," he asked.

"While it's taken some getting used to having a guard with me all of the time, I appreciate Flash's dedication," Twilight said before turning to face her brother completely, "It's good to see you big brother, but you could have told me that you were coming."

"Yeah, well, leave it to an owlbear to ruin a perfectly good surprise," Shining said as her approached his sister and hugged her.

The schedule advisor chose this time to clear his throat, "So sorry to interrupt Your Highnesses, but we have a schedule to keep."

"Now Kibitz," Princess Celestia said, "That's not necessary. We have plenty of time to get through everything."

"No, Your Majesty," Shining Armor said, "He's right; your time is valuable. Twilight and I will have plenty of time to catch up later."

Twilight approached Princess Celestia and bowed, "It's good to see you again Your Majesty."

Celestia responded in kind with her own bow, "And you as well, Your Highness."

"Where is Princess Luna," Twilight asked her former teacher, "I believe that your letter stated that she would be here as well."

"My sister had an errand to run before she joins us," Celestia responded, "In the meantime, I'd like to introduce to you, my nephew, Prince Vladimir Blueblood."

Prince Blueblood walked over to Twilight, lifted her hoof with his and planted a light kiss on it, "It is truly an honor to meet you, Your Highness."

Twilight responded, slightly taken aback, "Charmed, I'm sure."

When she regained her wits, she turned to Discord, "You're being rather quiet."

"That's because I'm being on my best behavior since the boss is here," the draconequus responded while motioning towards Celestia.

"Speaking of your job," Celestia said, "Let's begin there. How has your investigation into the forest's magic been going?"

"Truthfully, I know little more now than what I knew before beginning," Discord said, "The only thing that I've learned is that there is a correlation between the levels of magic and the behavior of the creatures the inhabit these woods."

"Have you discovered any means of controlling the magic, or at least detecting the spikes," Twilight asked.

"You saw how well I could manipulate the forest's magic last month when we had that run in with the timberwolves," he replied, "I could barely control it then, and I have not been able to do much with it since. As for detecting when the magic spikes, I have the ability since I am attuned to Chaos magic, but I have not been able to discover any other means."

"Excuse me, Princess," Flash said, "Permission to speak freely?"

Twilight was once again taken aback, this time by Flash's formality until she remembered her previous conversation with him, "Granted."

Flash turned to Discord, "Is there currently a spike in Chaos magic?"

Discord shook his head, "Not right now, but there was a sharp spike right before your encounter with the owlbear. It subsided shortly after you drove it back."

"So you think that the magic is what's driving the creatures to aggression," Shining asked.

"Correlation does not denote causation," Twilight said, "Just because the creatures act up when there's a spike, it doesn't mean that the magic is causing it. Maybe the creatures' aggression is fueling the magic."

Prince Blueblood decided to insert himself into the conversation, "But magic doesn't work that way."

"Unicorn magic doesn't work that way," Discord said, "Other types of magic may. Chaos magic is quite wild in nature. Aside from the magic that I employ, even I don't know what fuels it or causes it to do what it does."

"That's even if this is actual Chaos magic," Twilight said, "It could be a kind of magic that's never been studied before. I should look into that when I'm not so busy."

"I'm glad to see that you're as studious as ever," Celestia said, "And I would trust no one more for that undertaking, but as you said, you're busy with repairs and planning the gala. Speaking of, how is the planning going?"

"It's going well," she said, "I asked for help. I know you tasked me with planning the gala, but party planning isn't my forte, so I asked my friends. I'd understand if you're disappointed with my decision, but I was out of my depth."

"No, my student," Celestia said, "You did exactly what I'd hoped. Just because you're a princess, it does not mean that you have to do everything yourself. On the contrary, now more than ever, you must learn to delegate tasks to those who are most suitable to complete them. I'm proud of you…"

"Hold that thought," Discord said as he shivered, "I just felt a spike."

"I think I did too," Twilight said as once again, she felt a chill down her spine.

The rest of the group looked at them in concern.

"And it's gone," Discord said after a few moments before glancing at Twilight, "Princess?"

Twilight nodded as she visibly relaxed.

Just then, the doors opened, and in stepped Princess Luna.

"Sister," Celestia said, "I take it you've completed your errand. Did you have any trouble on way here?"

"It's as you say," Luna said, "And yes, we ran into an owlbear, but I dealt with it."

"You said 'we,'" Twilight said.

"Princess Twilight," Luna said as she bowed, "It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Likewise, Your Majesty," Twilight said as she returned the bow.

"And yes, I did say 'we,'" Luna stated, "I was referring to my companion."

The princess stepped aside to reveal the violet maned unicorn behind her, surrounded by four large bundles.

"Rarity," Twilight said shocked, "What's going on?"

"Your brother and sister-in-law weren't the only ones with a surprised planned," Celestia said.

"As you know I have been restoring the ancient tapestries of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna that once hung in the throne room of this castle," Rarity explained, "During that process, I reached out to historians in Canterlot to give me details for the accuracy. While I was there, Princess Luna met with me, and she commissioned two new tapestries to be done in the same style."

Twilight turned to Luna, who was now standing next to her sister.

"A lot has changed in the past one thousand years," Celestia said, "When those original tapestries were woven, there were two alicorn princesses that ruled over Equestria. Now there are four."

With that, Luna and Celestia took hold of the bundles and unwrapped them to unfurl four large tapestries. Two of them were the same ones that had hung in the throne room for over a thousand years, returned to splendor. The other two were brand new, though comparable to the quality of the originals. The old tapestries contained images of Celestia and Luna while the new ones contained images of Cadence and Twilight.

"They're beautiful," Cadence said.

"You've really outdone yourself, Rarity," Twilight said.

"Thank you," Rarity said, "When Princess Luna approached me with the idea, I thought it was wonderful. I'm very glad with the results."

"Is this why your shop was locked earlier," Twilight asked.

Rarity nodded, "Princess Luna was there, and she told me that they were meant to be a surprise. I apologize for being deceptive."

"Don't worry about it," Twilight said.

Kibitz once again cleared his throat, "Princess Celestia, Time is running short, and there are still quite a few things to discuss."

"Of course," Celestia said, "Shall we move on to the repairs?"

"Yes," Twilight said, "Follow me please."

Celestia and Luna rolled up the tapestries, and the group followed Twilight as she led them through the castle.

While Celestia and Luna were talking with the construction pony foreman, Shining Armor and Cadence approached Twilight.

"Hey Twilie," Shining said, "Can you join us for dinner at home in Canterlot on Friday night?"

"Shiny and I have news to share with you and your parents," Cadence added.

"Of course," Twilight said, "What is it?"

"It's a surprise," Cadence said as she draped her wing over Shining Armor's back.

"Pardon me," Prince Blueblood said as he approached the group, "Cadenza, my cousin, I haven't had time to tell you yet, but you look positively stunning, as usual."

"Thank you, Vladimir," Cadence said before the prince turned to Twilight.

"As do you, Your Highness," he said, "I was wondering if I could speak to you privately for a moment."

"Of course Your Highness," Twilight said before turning to her family, "Can you excuse us for a second?"

Cadence smiled and said, "Of course," while Shining Armor stared at Vlad like an overprotective older brother. The two of them turned and gave Vlad and Twilight room to talk.

"I couldn't help but overhear that you'll be in Cantorlot this weekend," Vladimir said, "and I was wondering if you would join me at the Skyswirl Lounge for dinner on Saturday."

Twilight's mind began racing, '_Is he asking me on a date? Why?'_

Vlad could sense her apprehension, "Just dinner. I just wish to speak with you about a few things. Please."

"Okay," Twilight said, "I would be happy to have dinner with you."

Vlad smiled, "Wonderful. Will you be staying at the castle or at your home?"

"It's been a while since I've seen my parents, so I'll probably be staying with them," Twilight said.

"Okay," Vlad said, "I'll come to escort you to the lounge around 8 p.m."

"Do you know where my parents live," Twilight asked.

"I believe I do," Vlad said, "Your father is Night Light, the retired Commander of the Royal Guard, correct?"

Twilight nodded.

"Then yes," Vlad said, "I do know."

"Then I look forward to it," she said.

"As do I," he said, "Well, it seems that my aunts are finished talking to the workers, so we'll probably be leaving soon. It was a pleasure talking to you."

"Likewise," she responded.

With that, Prince Blueblood returned to his aunts, and the entire group headed back out to the entrance hall. They all said their goodbyes and headed back towards Cantorlot, leaving Flash, Twilight and Rarity to return to Ponyville.

As they were walking, Rarity said, "I saw that Prince Blueblood was speaking with you."

"Yeah," Twilight said, "He asked me out to dinner this weekend. He was really laying on the charm."

"I didn't think it was possible for him to be charming," Rarity said.

When she said that, Flash chortled.

"What," Twilight said, turning towards her guard.

"Believe me," Flash said, "When Vlad wants something bad enough, he can be the most charming pony you'll ever meet."

"It seems like you know him well," Rarity said, "You called him 'Vlad,' not Prince Blueblood."

"I used to know him well," Flash said, "I grew up in Cantorlot, and I spent a lot of time at the castle. At one time, I considered him a friend. Then that thing happened that I can't tell you about, and everything changed."

On that somber not, the three of them headed back to Ponyville.

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><p>Please review.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **This chapter expands on my head canon as well as introduces the first of my recurring minor OCs.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic or any of the associated characters except Shimmering Blade and Chaser

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

Princess Twilight Sparkle was sitting in a private train car with a large book propped open in front of her. A few feet away, her personal guard and her personal assistant were sitting at a table with a chess board between them. Flash placed his knight on the board, capturing Spike's queen, "Check."

"Oh come on," Spike said, "That's not cool."

"You're the one who wanted to play chess," Flash said.

"Yeah," Spike said, "but I didn't think you'd be this good at it."

"Chess is a military strategy game," Flash said, "I'm an officer in the Royal Guard, and I've taken a few classes on tactics at the academy. Why wouldn't I be good at chess?"

Twilight put her book down, "You're an officer?"

Flash looked up at his charge, "Yeah, you didn't know that?"

"You never told me what your official rank was in the guard," she said.

"That's because my rank doesn't really matter anymore," he explained, "Since I became your personal guard, that order supersedes any order given by any superior officer save for Commander Shining Armor. Of course that doesn't mean that I don't have to salute or regard my superior officers. Like if I saw Lieutenant General Shimmering Blade at the barracks, I still have to salute him and stand at attention."

"You used somepony that is only three ranks below my brother as an example," she said, "That leads me to one of three conclusions: you're trying to be ambiguous, you chose an example of rank that I could easily recognize, or your rank is higher than I thought."

"D, all of the above," he said, "I'm a Lieutenant Colonel."

"Really," she said surprised, "but you're so young."

"Your brother isn't much older than I am, and he's the Commander."

"Yes, but Shiny was groomed his entire life by our father to become commander," she responded.

Flash was about to respond, but a knock on the compartment door interrupted them, "Now arriving in Cantorlot."

Twilight took hold of her bag using her magic, and the three of them disembarked the train.

"You don't have to escort me to my house," she said, "I know how to get there myself."

"Of course I do, and that's beside the point," Flash said, "I'll be by your side until you are safely inside your parents' house."

"Fine," Twilight said.

"Whatever," Spike said, "If you need me I'll be at Donut Joe's for the next few hours."

"Actually Spike," Twilight said, causing the young drake to stop in his tracks, "I have a list of books that I want you to pull at the royal library. Tell the librarian that I'll be there early tomorrow morning."

Spike sighed, defeated as he took the rolled up list from Twilight. He unrolled it to find that her list was about three feet long.

"You can go to Donut Joe's first," Twilight said.

Spike's expression changed to glee as he rolled the parchment back up and ran down the street.

"Let's go," Twilight said.

* * *

><p>Soon the two of them arrived at Twilight's foal-hood home.<p>

Flash knocked on the door then stood back. It was answered by Twilight's father.

"Welcome home sweetheart," Night Light said upon seeing his daughter, before turning his attention to Flash, "and you must be Flash Sentry."

Flash Sentry saluted, "Affirmative Commander."

"At ease, boy," the older stallion said, "It's been awhile since I held that title. My son tells me that you have a promising military career ahead of you."

"That's kind of him to say so," Flash said.

"He also told me that he trusts you implicitly to protect Twilight," he continued, "For my son to say that, it gives me hope that my daughter is in good hooves."

"I assure you, sir, I take my duty to protect Her Highness very seriously," Flash said.

"I hold you to that," Night Light said before turning back to Twilight, "Now, let's head inside. Your mother is working on dinner, Shiny is trying to figure out how to beat me at chess, and Cadence is upstairs resting. Apparently, she was sick this morning."

"Okay," Twilight said as she walked past her father, "I'll go up to see if she's alright."

Night Light turned back to Flash, "You're more than welcome to stay for a while."

"Thank you, sir, for the invitation, but I'm going to head to the barracks," Flash said, "I have a few colleagues to catch up with whom I haven't seen in a few months."

Night Light nodded, "I assume you'll be back here in the morning?"

Flash nodded, "Princess Twilight plans on spending the morning at the library, so I'll be here bright and early to escort her."

Twilight lightly knocked on the door to her brother's foal-hood room. She was met with her sister-in-law responding, "Come in."

"Hey," she said as she entered, "Dad said that you weren't feeling well."

"I feel fine now," Cadence responded, "but your mother insisted that I rest before dinner even though I know why I was sick this morning."

"What do you mean," Twilight asked.

Cadence opened her mouth to answer but they were interrupted by Shining Armor, "Hey you two; dinner's ready."

Twilight nodded, and she and Cadence followed her brother down to the dining room. Their dinner proceeded normally for a family that doesn't see each other regularly. They talked about Twilight's new duties, how it was living in Ponyville, how the castle restoration was going, and so on.

"So, are there any stallions in your life," Twilight Velvet asked her daughter.

"No," Twilight said, "I don't have time for a coltfriend."

"Yet you have a date with Prince Blueblood tomorrow night," Shining said.

"It's not a date," she responded, "The prince said that he wanted to talk with me about some things."

"So where is his royal pompousness taking you," her father asked.

Shining Armor snorted causing Cadence to hit him playfully, and Twilight Velvet said, "Night Light."

"Blueblood's a royal pain," he said before turning to his daughter, "Just ask your guard. Flash and Vladimir were pretty good friends back in the day; them and that filly, what's her name?"

Cadence and Shining shared a quick panicked glance before Cadence changed the subject, "So where is my cousin taking you for dinner?"

"The Skyswirl Lounge," she answered.

"That sounds about right," Shining said, "Knowing Vlad, he'll probably reserve the entire lounge, and have his personal chef prepare the meal. Face it sis, it's a date."

* * *

><p>Flash Sentry just left his reserved quarters in the Royal Guard barracks. Having just removed his armor, he was heading to the officer's club to have a few drinks and dinner. He entered the club and walked up to the bar.<p>

"Well, well, look who it is," said another pony at the bar, "The prodigal pegasus returns."

Flash turned to face the source, and immediately saluted, "Sir."

"At ease boy," said the older stallion, "So what brings you back to Cantorlot. Last I heard you were stationed in the Chrystal Empire under Shining Armor's direct command."

"Well, General," Flash said, "I was given the assignment of being the personal guard of the commander's sister, Princess Twilight Sparkle. I'm in Cantorlot because she's here having dinner with her family."

"I heard that Shining Armor was back," the general said, "I didn't get a chance to talk to him. I was at the palace, preparing a security plan for the state dinner next month. I assume that you'll be there."

"Probably," Flash responded, "I haven't received any official orders yet, but if Her Highness will be there, it's a good bet that I'll be with her."

By this time the bartender walked up, "Lieutenant Colonel, welcome back. What can I get you?"

"The best hard cider you have," he answered, "and whatever the dinner special is."

"Lieutenant General," the bartender asked.

"Rye on the rocks."

The bartender nodded before turning to fill their orders.

"You know, I'm kind of surprised that you took another protection detail," the general said, "After what happened last time with…"

"It's different now," Flash interrupted, "I'm different now."

The general nodded, knowingly.

The bartender returned with their drinks.

"So what should we drink to," the older stallion asked.

"Lessons learned," Flash said.

"I never took you for a cynic," he responded as he raised his glass.

"Like I said, I'm different now."

* * *

><p>Twilight Velvet walked into the room using her magic to carry five flute glasses and a bottle of fancy hard cider. She sat the glasses down in front of her family before pouring drinks for herself and her husband. She turned to Twilight, "Would you like some, dear?"<p>

"Really? You never let me drink before," she responded.

"Before, you weren't a princess," her mother said, "Now, I figure that if you're responsible enough to protect all of Equestria, I think you can handle a drink or two."

"Okay," Twilight said as her mother filled up the glass.

The elder Twilight then turned to Shining Armor, who nodded.

"So what's this big news that you two have," the mother said as she filled her son's glass before turning to Cadence.

"I can't," Cadence said smiling.

Twilight's jaw dropped, "You can't drink, and you have morning sickness."

She rushed her sister-in-law and wrapped her in a hug, "Congratulations."

"How long have you known," Twilight Velvet said as she swooped in to join the hug.

"We've known for about a month," Shining said, before Cadence added, "I'm about two months along."

"Does anyone else know," the younger Twilight asked.

"We plan on officially announcing my pregnancy at the state dinner next month," Cadence said, "but I'm pretty sure that Luna knows. I had a dream that I was telling everypony, and I think that the Luna in my dream was the real Luna, but I doubt that she told anypony because of her oath not to reveal anypony's dreams."

"We're going to the palace tomorrow to tell her and Princess Celestia for real," Shining said.

With that, Night Light raised his glass and said, "Now we have something to drink to."

* * *

><p>Flash and Lieutenant General Shimmering Blade were sitting in the officer's club catching up.<p>

"I have a question sir," Flash said.

"Only if you stop calling me 'sir,'" Shimmering Blade said.

Flash smiled as he took another drink, "Princess Twilight is having dinner with Prince Blueblood tomorrow night. Should I be worried?"

"I thought you were friends with Vladimir," the general said.

"Let's just say that he cashed in on that friendship," Flash explained.

The general nodded before finishing his drink, "Does it have anything to do with…?"

Flash shot him a look that said not to go there.

"Fine," he said, "Blueblood is still the same pompous bastard he always has been. Lately though, he's been trying to become more active in politics."

"That's weird," Flash said, "Politics used to bore Vladimir. He was never exactly the 'politician' type."

The bartender walked over with a fresh drink for each of them, "It probably has something to do with his extracurricular activities."

"What're you talking about Chaser," Flash said.

"You didn't hear it from me," Chaser said, "but the rumor is that he's a member of the Sons of Magic."

"Quit spewing that nonsense," the general said.

"What are the Sons of Magic," Flash asked.

"Unicorn supremacists," Shimmer said, "I'm sure you've heard of the old tribal conflicts; hell you may be old enough to remember that fiasco in Tall Tale."

"You mean 'The Defiance,' Flash said.

Shimmering Blade nodded, "The group of nobles that were involved, were members of the Sons of Magic. Night Light and I managed to round them all up, and I thought that the organization was defunct. Even if it's not, I really doubt that Vladimir is a member. Hell, his father was a member of the royal unit that was attached to our Guard unit."

Flash absorbed the information that he just learned while finishing his drink.

"Well, I'll probably be spending the better part of tomorrow in the library with Princess Twilight, so I'd better turn in for the night," Flash said as he stood up.

"It's been good talking to you," the general said, "I guess I'll see you at the state dinner."

Flash nodded before turning to the bartender, "See ya, Chaser."

Chaser waved as Flash walked out into the hall towards his quarters.

* * *

><p>Please review.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **So, I've learned tonight that I'm really bad at forgetting to upload chapters that I have done. So here's the first of two that have been sitting on my laptop for who knows how long.

It continues building the plot as well as my head-canon, plus it introduces another of my recurring OCs. This one plays a lot into Flash's backstory, and has a bigger role in the overarching plot of this story.

Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own My Little Pony or any affiliated characters, only Whispering Dagger.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

Twilight was sitting at a long table full of books about various types of magic. Off to her left, Spike was laying on the floor asleep while Flash was standing at attention by the door. The trio had been in the library for about four hours as it was almost noon.

"Have you found anything," Flash asked.

"Not really," she responded, "There are no books in this library about Chaos magic, aside from the books about Discord."

"So there's nothing," he said, "Maybe Chaos magic isn't meant to be understood."

"I refuse to believe that," she said, "Everything can be understood if it can be studied."

"How exactly do you plan on studying a type of magic that you can't even perform," he asked.

"I'll study Discord," she said before turning to Spike, "Spike, wake up."

"What," he said as sat up.

"I need you to go and get every book about Discord," she said as she began gathering up the books in front of her.

"Right," the young dragon said as he stumbled out of the room.

"Little guy looks like he had a rough night," Flash said.

"He probably spent the night gorging on donuts," she responded, "Sugar coma."

Twilight levitated the stack of books over to a line of shelves before putting each one right back in its place.

The librarian walked over, "You didn't have to do that Your Highness."

"It's fine," Twilight said, "I still know where everything goes in here."

By now, Spike had returned to the table carrying a stack of five books.

"That's it," Twilight said while taking them with her magic, "These are the only books here that talk about Discord."

"Unfortunately," the librarian said, "Writing about Discord, or any enemies of Equestria is considered taboo. "

"That's a shame," Flash said, "Especially from a military standpoint. Imagine how useful a book about Changeling's would be."

"True," Twilight said, "Well I'd better get to reading these books. My mother wants me to come home early so I can get ready for my dinner with Prince Blueblood."

Soon, the five books were lying on a different pile than they were when she started.

"Those taught me a whole lot of nothing," she said defeated, "They were basically just historic accounts of the battles between him and the princesses. None of them discussed his magic aside from mentioning that it's different than unicorn magic."

"Which you already know," Flash said.

She nodded curtly.

"If I may make a suggestion Your Highness," the librarian said, "Perhaps you can reach out to the regent of Trottingham. He's considered the authority on magic research presently. I assume that he'll be at the state dinner next month."

"I heard Shiny mention that last night," Twilight said, "What state dinner?"

"Cantorlot is hosting a state dinner next month," Flash explained, "I'm sure Princess Celestia just hasn't gotten around to inviting you yet."

"Oh, well I'm not going to worry about it," she said before glancing at the clock, "I should head home. I need to get ready for dinner."

"Go ahead," Spike said as he woke up from his nap, "I take care of your mess and put the books away."

"Thanks Spike," she said before she and Flash exited the room.

As the Princess and her guard were walking down the street, Flash asked, "What was the Commander's big news?"

"Cadence is pregnant," Twilight said, "but don't tell anyone; it's still kind of a secret."

"That's wonderful," he replied, "I'll have to send him a congratulatory letter."

"Or you could tell him when we get to my house," she said, "They are still there."

"Oh," he said, "or I could do that."

She laughed at his terrible joke, causing the orange pegasus to smile. Soon, the two of them arrived at Twilight's house.

"Are you coming in this time," she asked, "or are you going to spend the rest of the day at the barracks again?"

"No," he said, "I'm going with you."

"Why," she asked as they walked through the front door.

"Because the Skyswirl Lounge is a public place," he explained, "As your guard, I need to make sure that it's secure so you'll be safe."

"What are you two arguing about," Shining Armor asked as they walked into the room. The commander was once again playing chess with his father while Cadence and Twilight Velvet were sitting at the table drinking tea.

"Flash said that he's coming with me to dinner with Prince Blueblood," Twilight said, "which I think is kind of weird."

"I'd expect nothing less," Night Light said.

"If for nothing than to keep my cousin in line," Cadence said.

Shining Armor and Flash both snickered.

"She's kidding," Flash said, "Vlad acts like a player, but he's completely harmless. Like I said, I'm only going to be there to make sure that the lounge is secure."

"Again, I'd expect nothing less," Night Light said as he moved his knight, "Check."

"How," Shining Armor said.

Twilight Velvet and Cadence stood up and walked over to Twilight.

"I think we should start getting you ready for your date," the mother said.

"It's not a date," Twilight protested as her mother and sister-in-law led her out of the room.

"Why don't you sit down and rest," Night Light said to Flash, "They're going to be a while."

"Thank you sir," Flash said as he made himself comfortable.

"Twilight said that you spent the night at the barracks last night," Shining said, "Catch up with anyone?"

"Yeah," Flash said, "I ran into Lieutenant General Shimmering Blade at the officer's club."

"How's the old bastard doing," Night Light asked.

"He's doing well," the guard responded, "He's heading up security at the state dinner."

"Speaking of which," Shining Armor said, "I was going to send you a briefing on Monday, but since you're here, I'll give it to you in person. If you haven't guessed yet, Twilight will be invited to attend the state dinner. As her personal guard, you will be added to the official security detail. You will be under Lieutenant General Shimmering Blade's direct order. It will be your duty to cooperate with the security teams from Saddle Arabia, the Griffon Kingdom, and Trottingham."

"Understood sir," Flash said while saluting, "and since I'm able to see you face-to-face, I'd like to say congratulations. The princess told me your happy news."

"Thank you," Shining said.

After about a half an hour, the three mares came down the stairs.

"How do I look," Twilight asked as she stepped into the room.

She was wearing the gown that Rarity made her for the Grand Galloping Gala.

When Flash saw his charge, his mouth dropped open. While her father and brother were complimenting how she looked, the only thought that was in Flash's head was, _"She's beautiful."_

Less than a second later though he was mentally berating himself, _"Dammit Flash, pull it together. You can't think things like that."_

Flash regained his composure and stood silently while the family had their moment. Shortly, there was a knock on the door. Night Light answered it.

"Good evening, Your Highness," he said upon seeing Prince Blueblood.

"Likewise, Commander," Blueblood said, "I'm here to escort your daughter to dinner."

"Of course," Night Light said, "Would you like to come in?"

"If it's all the same to you sir, I'd like to get going," Blueblood said, "I have a reservation."

"Of course," Night Light said before turning to his daughter, "Twilight, Prince Blueblood is here."

He stepped back and allowed her to walk past.

"Princess Twilight, you look astonishing," the prince said upon seeing her.

"Thank you," she responded.

"Shall we go," he asked.

Twilight nodded before glancing back into the house. As she stepped out, Flash followed. When he saw the guard, Prince Blueblood's expression dropped, but only for a second as he forced a smile.

"Lieutenant Colonel," he said, "This is a pleasant surprise."

"Your Highness; as you should recall from your trip to the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, I have been assigned to Princess Twilight as her personal guard," Flash said, "So I'll be accompanying Her Highness tonight in that capacity."

Prince Blueblood, "Of course."

He turned back to Twilight, "As I said, shall we go?"

Soon the three of them arrived at the Skyswirl Lounge.

"As you can see, Lieutenant Colonel, the only ones here are the three of us and my personal chefs," Blueblood said.

"Right," Flash said as he glanced at the shadow being cast by the curtains of the balcony, "Everything seems to be in order."

He turned to Twilight, "If you need anything, Your Highness, I'll be right outside on the balcony."

"Thank you Flash," she said.

"The pegasus walked out onto the balcony as the two royals sat down to dinner.

Flash stood on the balcony and looked out over Cantorlot as a chill filled the air.

"You can come out now," he said.

"Heh," the black-coated, silver-maned earth pony laughed as he stepped out of the shadows, "How long did you know that I was there?"

"I saw you slip from Vlad's shadow into the curtains'," Flash said, "The Bangle of Concealing Shadows; I thought that we handed that over to the magical archives."

"We handed something over to the magical archives," he responded, earning a curt laugh from Flash.

"It's good to see you, Dagger," Flash said.

"Is it," Dagger asked, "You didn't seem too happy to see Vlad."

"That's because he screwed us over, and you know it," Flash said as a scowl appeared on his face, "Which begs the question, why are you his personal guard?"

"Long answer: despite everything that happened back then, I still consider him to be my friend," Dagger said, "and I haven't given up hope that he'll see the error of his ways and turn over a new leaf."

Flash nodded, "And the short answer?"

"He pays well," Dagger said, "I'm a mercenary. I gotta pay the bills somehow."

"You've changed," Flash said, "You used to do all of the sneaky, shadowy stuff because of the thrill; money never mattered."

"We've both changed," Dagger said, "You were never an uptight dog of the military, Lieutenant Colonel."

"You're right," Flash admitted, "Maybe if I would have taken the job more seriously back then, I would have noticed that something was wrong, and she wouldn't be gone."

"Don't beat yourself up too much," Dagger said, "Even I wasn't privy to their plans, and Vlad told me everything back then."

"Don't say that too loud," Flash said.

"That's right, you left him out of the official report," Dagger said.

"Because he was my friend," Flash said, "Did you know that he came to me with the audacity to beg that I leave him out of the report, to blame it all on her? Not like it mattered, I had already submitted it by then."

"You ever wish that we could just go back to how it was before," Dagger asked.

"What do you think," Flash responded sarcastically.

"Yeah, if only," Dagger said, "Do you remember the last time we stood on this balcony?"

Flash nodded, "It was the night after we found that bangle. We came here to celebrate."

"I remember it like it was yesterday," Dagger said, "I was right where I am now, Vlad was standing next to me, and you were right there with your wing draped over her back."

"It was winter," Flash said, "She got cold easily."

"I wonder if they knew that night," Dagger said.

"The only pony who knows is Vlad," Flash said, "and he won't be telling anypony."

While Flash was catching up with Whispering Dagger, Twilight was having a delightful conversation with Vladimir.

"I wanted to ask you," Vlad started, "How is your research going into Chaos magic?"

"I wish I could say it was going smoothly," she responded, "I haven't been able to find anything in the royal library, here or at the Castle of Two Sisters. I must say though, I never took you to be so interested in the study of magic."

"Truthfully, my interest has only arisen recently," he said, "As a unicorn, magic is my birthright. My only regret is that I didn't try harder to learn it when I was younger."

"Speaking of when you were younger," she said, "can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," he replied.

"Flash Sentry said that the two of you were friends," she said, "but that's all that he's told me about his past, aside from that something terrible happened."

"And he won't tell you what," he said.

She shook her head.

"That 'terrible thing that happened' was the loss of one of our close friends," he explained, "It shook the three of us that remained to our core. Flash threw himself into his career, and became a true dog of the military. Our friend, Whispering Dagger, threw himself into his craft and became a world renowned mercenary. I threw myself into studying magic."

"What happened," she asked, "Who was it?"

"I can't tell you," he said, "It's not my place. The only one who has any right to talk about her is Flash, and I doubt he'll talk about it since the three of us vowed to never discuss her ever again. Now, as much as I love discussing our horrible past, can we please change the subject?"

"Of course," Twilight replied, "I apologize for bringing it up."

"It's fine," he said, "Now, onto why I asked you to join me tonight. I know that you do not have any experience in Cantorlot royal court and very few connections. Despite that, you garner a lot of influence among the other lords and ladies. I have the opposite problem: plenty of experience and connections, but many other lords tend to ignore me and choose to see to me as the child I once was. I wanted to propose a mutually beneficial pact. If you lend me your support for my endeavors, I will make sure that your policy and amendment motions are heard."

"That's a lot to think about," she said, "You're right though; I don't know much about royal court except that my brother and father have seats in it. I also know that as a princess, I'm not allowed to hold a seat."

"I know that I'm asking a lot," he said, "So I hope that you really take your time to consider it."

"I will," she responded.

Their conversation reverted back to magic as they finished their meal. Soon Twilight was on her way back home accompanied by Flash Sentry.

"So how was dinner," the stallion asked, "What did you talk about?"

"Magic, politics…," she glanced at him to gauge his reaction, "and I asked him about you."

Flash stopped dead.

She hung her head in shame, "I'm sorry. It's just… I know next to nothing about you, and I knew that you wouldn't talk about your past, so I figured that Vlad would know since you were friends."

Flash was barely listening as his mind was racing frantically, _"What did she ask him? Did he tell her about…?"_

"He told me that you were close with him and somepony named Whispering Dagger," she explained, "and that something happened that shook you three so much that you threw yourself into your career, and he threw himself into magic research. He wouldn't tell me what happened though. He said that the only pony with the right to talk about it is you."

Flash sighed, "Look Your Highness, I lied to you before. What happened isn't confidential, it's on record. I just didn't want to tell you since I'm still trying to earn your trust. What happened was my biggest failure, and I hope you don't hold it against me if I refuse to tell you about it. If you must know, you can ask your brother or check the archives."

"I'm sorry Flash," she said.

"We should keep moving," he said, "Your parents are probably waiting."

They continued their walk in silence. When they arrive at the house, they found a guest.

"Princess Twilight," Princess Celestia said as her student walked into the room.

"Your Majesty," Twilight said as she bowed.

"Relax Twilight," Celestia said, "I'm here with an invitation. You are cordially invited to attend the state dinner at the royal palace in a month's time. I believe that Flash Sentry has already been briefed on the situation."

Flash nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Very good," Celestia said as she stood up and headed towards the door, "Now I'm sorry I can't stay longer, but I must return to the palace."

She turned to Twilight's parents, "Congratulations on the news of your grandchild."

"Thank you Your Majesty," Night Light said.

Celestia said her goodbyes before leaving.

"I'm going to head back to the barracks," Flash said, "I'll see you in the morning Your Highness."

He turned and left before Twilight could say goodbye.

* * *

><p>Please review.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **The other chapter of this story that has been stewing on my laptop for who knows how long.

This chapter is all plot and head-canon exposition as well as an introduction point for eleven minor OCs that have major roles in the plot of upcoming chapters.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own My Little Pony or any related characters. (I'm not going to list off my OCs in this chapter because there are thirteen of them mentioned.)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

In the month following her visit to Cantorlot, Twilight had doubled down on her duties and found that she had become as busy as her friends. On top of that, her relationship with Flash Sentry remained the same as it was when they left Cantorlot. He continued his duties as her guard, but an air of tension hung between them. Despite knowing that Flash's history was available at the royal archives, Twilight had long since decided not to look for it. Nevertheless, Flash still harbored feelings of betrayal.

The pair of them was presently back in Cantorlot preparing for the upcoming State Dinner. Twilight was walking next to Kibitz as he explained the preplanned order of events.

"Princesses Celestia and Luna will be the first guests to be announced, followed by Commander Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. According to my notes, it seems that you don't have an escort."

His last sentence ended as though it was a question.

"That's correct," she answered.

"You have three days until the dinner to find an escort if you so wish," he explained, "If you do find one, let me know. You will enter, with or without an escort, after Princess Cadence. You will walk up the carpet towards the greeting line. Etiquette dictates that you bow to the royal sisters, and they will respond in kind. You move down the line to Princess Cadence and do the same. Then your brother will bow to you, which normally, you would return, but since he's your brother, you may improvise. You will then take your place next to them in the line and greet the other dignitaries. Prince Blueblood will enter after you and take his place in line beside you."

Twilight nodded in understanding.

* * *

><p>Across the ballroom, Flash Sentry stood next to Lieutenant General Shimmering Blade.<p>

"Aside from you and I, who else is part of the security detail," Flash asked.

"The sheriff of Trottingham will be arriving with the Duke," the general said, "as well as the fariq awwal of Saddle Arabia, and two members of the Griffon Air Corps. Captains Spitfire and Soarin of the Wonderbolts, as well as one of their most promising cadets, are also going to be present as reserves if necessary."

"The Griffon Kingdom is sending delegates," Flash said in almost disbelief.

"Not just delegates," he responded, "Her Majesty, Queen Gwendolyn is set to be here."

"I thought that Gwendolyn cut all diplomatic ties when Luna returned," Flash said.

Shimmering Blade nodded, "She did. In fact, the only reason that the Griffons are going to be here is because Princess Luna invited her to bury the hatchet, so to speak."

"So then I take it I can expect some animosity from the Griffon guards," Flash said.

"I wouldn't be too surprised."

"Which leads to the big question," Flash said, "What are the potential security threats?"

"We haven't found anything specific yet," the general responded, "That being said, let me ask you a question. How much do you know about the current states of affairs in the various regions that will be represented here?"

"I know that King Cassim of Saddle Arabia has been ill for quite some time, and that Prince Mohammad has been bolstering support for his ascension to the throne," Flash said, "It also helps that his second wife, Princess Amira, is pregnant with a potential heir. They've also been dealing with a group of thieves that is rumored to be led by Mohammad's older half-brother, Alibaba, who was ostracized for being a unicorn."

Shimmering Blade smiled, "Go on."

"The current fariq awwal, Jafar, was chosen by Mohammad from a long line of Earth Pony assassins," Flash said, "He swore a very public oath of fealty to Mohammad's most recent wife, Princess Mona, who also happens to be a unicorn."

"Which leads you to believe…," the general pressed.

"That Saddle Arabia is dealing with a level of unrest due to the Prince's marriage to a unicorn," Flash said, "So much so that Mohammad feels that, potentially, the deadliest pony alive needs to be by his wife's side at all times."

"Well put," Shimmering Blade said, "and the Griffon Kingdom."

"As I've already said, Gwendolyn was not happy with Princess Luna's return to Equestria," Flash said, "The fact that she accepted Luna's invitation leads me to be wary that she may have something planned. However, her consort and the General of the Griffon Air Corps, Garrett as well as their Captain, Gage, are very amiable towards the Princesses, and I know from personal experience from serving in joint operations with them, that they are very honorable. I know nothing about the other member of the Corps that will be in attendance."

"She's a new recruit," Shimmering Blade said, "Apparently she's been living in Equestria for a few years, which is why Gwendolyn assigned her to the detail. She attended flight school with the Wonderbolt cadet that I mentioned earlier. They had a falling out a few years ago, which is why I suggested to Spitfire to bring the cadet along."

Flash deadpanned, "I'm glad you like dabbling in politics; it gives me a headache, and if the cadet is who I think it is, you may have bitten off more than you can chew. At least Twilight will have one of her close friends here with her. That is, of course, if you're speaking about Wonderbolt cadet, Rainbow Dash."

The general smiled and nodded, "Your opinion of her."

"She's great," he said, "She is, by all accounts, a hero of Equestria, as well as the Element of Loyalty. She's one of Twilight's most trusted friends. Aside from all of that, she's the only pegasus to ever cast a Sonic Rainboom, which is technically an Alicorn level spell, through sheer speed alone."

"You sound smitten, Lieutenant Colonel," Shimmering Blade prodded.

"Don't confuse respect for infatuation," Flash said, "She is possibly the fastest pony to ever live, and she knows it. If her ego was a physical entity, it would fill this entire ball room."

The general chuckled, "Back to business then. Trottingham."

"The region that worries me the most," Flash said, "Last time I was here in Cantorlot, we spoke of the rebellion at Tall Tale. By all accounts, it seems that Trottingham may be heading the same route. Duke Johann is Prince Blueblood's first cousin on his mother's side, and he has a very distinct world view in respect to the three tribes. Since assuming authority over the region, he's banned anypony other than unicorns from holding any form of public office, which is enforced by his right hand, Sheriff Mervyn. The lords of the region are constantly harassed by a group of and I quote, 'rabble-rousers,' led by an Earth Pony named Robin Locks and an unidentified unicorn. Johann also just took on an apprentice to help him study the, again I quote, 'hidden' legacy of Starswirl the Bearded, that is, a set of spells that Johann believes that the great wizard created and deemed too dangerous for anypony to have."

Shimmering Blade nodded, "Your final assessment?"

"In my opinion, the biggest threats that will be in this room are Queen Gwendolyn and her mysterious new recruit, as well as Duke Johann and Sheriff Mervyn. I don't expect the Griffons to do anything overt, but I wouldn't be surprised if they have an ulterior motive for being here. As for our guests from Trottingham, I'm most worried about their interaction with the Princesses, as Johann's self-proclaimed goal is to attain the strength of an Alicorn."

"I bought all of it except your assessment of the Duke and Sheriff," the general said, "Try again."

"Fine," Flash said, "I'm worried about their interactions with Twilight."

"Why?"

"She is the only Alicorn princess who wasn't born an Alicorn," Flash said, "Knowing Johann's past and his obsession with magic, I'm afraid that he'll overstep a boundary."

"Solutions," the general said.

"I have a contact who, for the right price, can covertly observe the Griffons," Flash said.

"Is this contact someone you trust," he asked.

Flash nodded, "Implicitly. Aside from our friendship, the only one he has loyalty toward is Prince Blueblood. Besides, I'm sure he's already here, within earshot… right behind me."

"Heh…," Whispering Dagger said as he stepped out of Flash's shadow.

"I was wondering when you'd make an appearance," Shimmering Blade said before turning to Flash, "I assume my nephew is the contact you were referring to."

Flash nodded before facing Dagger, "I assume you were listening, so will you?"

"For a price," Dagger said.

"Name it," Flash said.

"A future favor," Dagger said, "No questions asked."

"Done," Flash said.

"Wow," Dagger said, "That was quick. I guess you really do still trust me."

"You've never given me a reason not to," Flash said.

"And your solution to the other potential problem," Shimmering Blade asked.

"Prince Blueblood," Flash said, "The only pony here who can reign in Johann's insanity is his cousin. I know that Blueblood has, at least, a passing fancy for Twilight. I can suggest that he acts as her escort for the evening."

"I'm sure it wouldn't take much convincing to get him to," Dagger said, "As you said, he has a 'passing fancy' for her. However, in order for him to be her escort, she has to agree to it, and last time I checked, she doesn't think much of him."

Flash looked at Shimmering Blade, "Can I say something to you in confidence?"

"I can't guarantee it," the general said, "Does it have something to do, perchance, with you developing feelings for your charge again?"

"No," Flash said quickly, "I learned my lesson last time. I lied to her about my past, or rather I told her half-truths. Instead of coming to me to inquire about it, she went to Vlad. I know that it shouldn't bother me, but it felt like a betrayal, and our relationship has been strained ever since."

"You claim that your relationship with Her Highness is strictly professional," the general said, "but over the course of our conversation, you've mentioned her name four times. You didn't use her title, or her honorific; you used only her first name."

As the general said that, Flash's eyes widened, _'I should've been more careful."_

"I apologize, sir," Flash said, "I've grown too comfortable in being casual with her. She doesn't like formality, and forbids me from referring to her as 'Her Highness.'"

"I'll let it go this time," he said, "Just be careful around other officers, specifically the Commander. I know he's your mentor, but she's his sister."

Flash nodded.

"Looks like you're gonna have a chance to talk to Vlad," Dagger said as he motioned towards the door.

Vlad entered the ball room flanked by a group of four fillies, who were all giggling at something he said.

"I'll leave you to it," the general said as he turned away.

Flash saluted as he walked away.

"I thought you were better at calculating risk than that," Dagger said, "What were you thinking of bringing up your relationship with a princess to my uncle?"

"I consider the general to be one of my closest confidants in the royal guard," Flash said before turning to walk over to Vlad, "The only one I trust more is Commander Shining Armor, but I obviously can't go to him about his sister."

"Of course," Dagger said, "Speaking of her royal hotness, how are you going to convince her to let Vlad escort her."

"First of all, never call her that again. I will cut you," Flash said, "And I'll just explain the security situation and hope that she agrees."

By now, they had reached Prince Blueblood's entourage.

"Excuse me ladies," Flash said to the group, "but I need to speak to His Highness in private for a few minutes."

"Aww," one of them said before turning to Vlad, "Do we really have to go, Vladdy?"

Vlad visually winced at the nickname, causing Whispering Dagger to snort, "I'm afraid so, darling. Why don't the four of you wait out front, and I'll join you for a trot around town."

He threw in a wink at the end, making the group swoon. They chatted happily as they walked out the front doors.

"Thank you for that out, by the way, I've had to listen to their incessant prattling for the past half hour," Vlad said, "Now, you and I are hardly on good terms; so what do you want?"

"Straight to the point," Flash said, "I appreciate that, so I'll do the same. I want you to be Her Highness, Princess Twilight's escort for the state dinner."

"Why would you trust me with your charge," Vlad said, "Last time that didn't work out too well for you or her."

Flash sneered, "If we weren't in a public place right now, I'd skewer you with my sword."

"Seriously," Dagger said, "Can't the two of you just hold a civil conversation for once?"

Vlad turned to Dagger, "And why are you here?"

"Security meeting," Dagger responded, "Since I'm your bodyguard, I have to know what security procedures are in place."

"True, you are my bodyguard," Vlad said, "And Flash Sentry just threatened me with violence. Are you going to do something about that?"

"The only thing I heard was that you brought up you-know-who," Dagger said darkly, "Quite frankly Vladdy, I wouldn't blame him if he ran you through."

"Charming," Vlad said before turning to Flash, "And you didn't answer my question. Why?"

"Your cousin from Trottingham," Flash said, "I know about his obsession with Alicorns, and most recently, with Princess Twilight's ascension. I know that you are one of the few ponies that can keep his eccentricities in check."

"'Eccentricities,'" Vlad said, "You can avoid the euphemisms. I know my cousin is insane. Very well, I shall ask her, but it is her choice."

"I'll speak with her tonight," Flash said.

"Have you forgiven her yet," Vlad said.

"What," Flash said.

"For asking about your past," Vlad explained, "Knowing you, you felt that she betrayed your trust in asking me instead of you. Have you forgiven her yet?"

"Of course I have," Flash said, "That was over a month ago."

"Have you told her that you've forgiven her," Dagger asked.

Flash turned to him, "Really, you too?"

Dagger looked at him expectantly.

"I suppose I haven't," he said, "Not directly."

"She doesn't know you like we do," Vlad said, "She doesn't know that you don't hold grudges. Other than the one you hold over me, of course."

* * *

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